Efforts to create electrical power from the sun’s rays have been underway since the early 20^th century.  Historically, though, solar energy has been prohibitively expensive.  Reducing its cost is a top priority of renewable energy researchers, who have focused most of their efforts on improving the output of photovoltaic panels.  However, researchers at Stanford University are taking a different approach.  They are working to boost the efficiency of quantum dot solar cells.

Silicon surfaces have been used to generate electrical power since the 1950s, but they are limited by the fact that conventional materials can only absorb a particular wavelength of light.  Due to this, their maximum theoretical efficiency rating is 31%.

To get around this problem, quantum dots were developed.  They’re made from minute semiconductor particles.  Since the light wavelength they can absorb varies according to their size, they can potentially convert up to 65% of the solar power that reaches them into electricity.  They are also cheaper to produce than traditional panels, as they are made from simple chemical reactions easily created in laboratories or industrial settings.

Unfortunately, research into quantum dot solar technology has lagged behind that of other approaches.  Hence, they remain inefficient in terms of real-world results.  Stanford professor of chemical engineering, Stacey Bent, was pondering this when she hit upon an idea.  “I wondered if we could use our knowledge of chemistry to improve their (quantum dots) efficiency,” she said in a recent interview.

To that end, she and a group of research assistants applied a layer of organic molecules to a group of quantum dots.  When they did so, their efficiency tripled.  Bent is confident that they can improve on these results.

The outcomes achieved by the Stanford team are part of a global effort to make solar power a cost-effective solution.  It has already become competitive with nuclear reactors and is approaching the price levels of fossil fuels.  Continuing research points towards the day when much, if not most, of humanity’s energy needs will be provided by the sun.

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Some critics still say that deriving significant amounts of power from the sun’s rays is a pipe dream, but a growing body of evidence is proving them wrong.  As an article published in the March 16^th 2011 issue of Scientific American shows, the costs of harvesting solar energy have declined dramatically over the past several decades.  In fact, it appears that high efficiency solar panels are following their own version of Moore’s Law.

For those of you unfamiliar with that term, it stems from a prediction made by Gordon E. Moore, one of the founders of Intel.  In 1965, he predicted that the number of transistors that could be placed on a silicon chip would double every 24 months “for at least 10 years.”  The prophecy was later clarified by Intel executive David House, who said that actual chip performance would double every 18 months.

Moore’s and House’s predictions have proven uncannily correct, so much so that Intel and other chip manufacturers set their research and production goals according to them.  In 1965, computers with the processing power of an arithmetic calculator filled giant rooms.  Today, a single laptop computer can do vastly more work than ones built just a few years ago.  As far as calculators are concerned, today we have ones that not only add and subtract, they also compute complex data using trigonometric and calculus formulas and perform other highly advanced functions – yet they fit in a shirt pocket.

Solar cell prices have followed a Moore’s Law-like trend during their history.  In 1956, it cost $300 to generate a watt of electricity from sunlight.  This figure fell to $50 per watt in the 1970s, then to $10 a watt during the 1990s.  Today it hovers around $1.00 on average, with manufacturing prices as low as 75 cents a watt in some settings.

This amount is still prohibitively high compared to coal-fired power generation, which currently costs a shade under 10 cents per watt.  However, if current trends continue, by 2030, high efficiency solar panels will generate energy at half the cost of methods that use fossil fuels.  Years before then, they will be competitive with coal, oil, and hydroelectric plants on an economic basis.  Additionally, that’s not taking into consideration the environmental and financial benefits of cutting the amount of greenhouse gasses pouring into the atmosphere.

Several factors are driving the reductions in expenses.  The silicon wafers in solar cells can now be made more efficiently, thanks to the use of diamond-tipped industrial blades and other enhancements to the manufacturing process.  Advances in software allow panel farms to track the sun’s path across the sky more precisely.  Sanyo has pioneered the construction of double-sided panels, and developments in thin-film and quantum dot technologies promise a revolution in efficiency.

The potential for harvesting energy from the sun is astounding.  Every day, the amount of power that reaches the earth’s surface from our home star totals 89 petawatts of power.  That’s 89,000,000,000,000,000 watts, more than 6,000 times the energy consumed by all human activities in a year.  By capturing 1/1000^th of that energy, we could supply six times the amount of electricity needed to maintain civilization at its current level and produce virtually no pollutants in exchange.  The potential benefits of pursuing solar energy stagger the imagination.

Becoming part of this revolution requires going through a variety of permit applications and inspections.  Let us help you with that end of things.  We can assist in expediting the permit process, allowing your project to commence faster.  Also, upon completion, we can help with solar panel inspection as well, letting you enjoy the benefits of sustainable power generation sooner.  Contact us today.

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Solar panel technologies offer the potential to generate enormous amounts of power while being environmentally friendly.  However, they have faced a number of barriers to widespread acceptance, due to efficiency and other limitations.  That’s why recent news from MIT researchers is so exciting.  They have developed a way to use three-dimensional design techniques to increase solar panel output by as much as 20 times that of traditional flat arrays.

Rooftop panels are limited in how much power they collect by the location of the sun.  When it’s directly overhead, they are very effective, but this diminishes in the mornings and evenings.  The collection amount is also reduced in winter and in areas far from the equator.

Aware of this, the MIT researchers set out to determine the ideal shape for panels.  They tested a number of configurations in a variety of latitudes, weather conditions, and seasons of the year, using a computer algorithm.  After that, they settled on three designs, which they built models of and installed on the roof of the MIT lab building.

The solar cell arrays out-performed traditional flat panels, creating anywhere from two to 20 times the amount of electricity.  The power output was also more consistent over time, even after the effects of clouds and shadows were taken into account.

Each of the designs is accordion-shaped and is meant to be vertically mounted on rooftops.  According to Jeffrey Grossman, the study’s senior author, they could also be installed on parking garages to provide power for vehicles that run on electricity.

Solar energy has long been touted as an answer to the world’s energy needs, but several limitations have prevented its widespread adoption.  One of these is the cost of manufacture versus the amount of energy produced by these solar panel technologies.

“Even 10 years ago, this idea wouldn’t have been economically justified because the modules cost so much,” said Grossman in a recent interview.  However, these costs have been falling in recent years, leading him and his colleagues to believe that now is an ideal time to explore new types of panels.

At Burnham Nationwide, we know solar panels and the ins and outs of installation, efficiency, and much more. Contact us today to learn how we can help you!

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The degree of solar panel maintenance is directly correlated to the region of the country in which one lives. If you live in an area accustomed to snow, you can pretty much expect a higher degree of maintenance, but short of that, solar panel maintenance requires rather minimal effort.

Why is solar panel maintenance so minimal a task? Three words: No moving parts. The first clue to solar panels’ inherent low maintenance needs lies in the life of their warranties—most coming with 25- to 30-year manufacturers’ performance guarantees. The only moving part involved in a solar array is the pump; so, if anything, that might be the main focus of attention.

Early versions of solar panels had somewhat fragile surfaces, which heightened the need for maintenance. However, today’s versions feature practically indestructible surfaces. Despite this virtual indestructibility, solar panels are not immune to getting dirty. So removal of grime—dirt, soot, pollen, dust, bird droppings, leaves, and the like—represents the biggest single area of solar panel maintenance. In some regions of the country where pollen is prevalent, homeowners and business owners who have outfitted their buildings with a solar panel array report big accumulations when pollen particles start to bond. For this reason, pollen—a fine or coarse powder derived from seed plants—poses a major maintenance menace. Other parts of the country are dustier, and while dust may seem benign, its accumulation can negatively impact energy output.

As a result, it is recommended to clean panels at least twice a year, perhaps in March or April after the end of the rainy season and again in August or September toward summer’s end. Such upkeep is a key consideration, as dirty panels tend to lose up to 15 percent of their output versus those that are kept clean.

You can take the hose to them with a moderate stream, using a gentle brush if needed to clean major grime or dirty accumulation. If you live in an area of hard water on tap, you might consider cleaning solar panel surfaces with bottled water to avoid the residue sometimes associated with some tap water.

It’s not advisable to use strong detergents in cleaning solar panels. It’s best to use soapy water containing a mild solvent that can then be hosed off gently.  Just because panels are all but indestructible doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be gentle with them!

As with any technology, malfunctions might also occur with solar panels. It’s a good idea to monitor power output regularly to discern if there are any variations that might alert to malfunction. Check your solar inverter’s display to keep an eye on such variances, monitoring consistently on each month or with an even greater rate of frequency.   In doing so, you arrive at a baseline as it relates to energy provision and can more easily spot any deficiencies.

The only other area of solar panel maintenance revolves more around their surroundings rather than the panels themselves. To avoid pollen accumulation and obstruction from falling leaves, it’s good to always keep an eye on tree limbs that may stretch onto the vicinity of a solar panel array.

In short, solar panel maintenance requires little effort that building owners can easily accomplish themselves with minimal physical exertion. If this still poses a challenge, however, cleaning companies often include solar panel maintenance as part of their services.

As the trend toward sustainability grows, we have detected a growing number of clients intent on environmentally conscious design. As a result of this, Burnham increasingly advises clients on such matters. If you need more information on solar panel maintenance or related matters, feel free to contact us toll free at 800-407-7990. You can also find us on Facebook where we encourage you to hit our “like” button!

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Sunny days are here again—quite literally, with the arrival of the sunnier days of spring and in anticipation of the imminent summer months. Now that spring has sprung, it might be a good idea for those of you with solar panel installations to explore how best to take advantage of the sun’s rays in these brighter, post-winter days.

It’s actually not too complicated, and we will attempt here to demystify the process. A first requirement for optimizing the use of solar panels lies in the most basic of astronomical knowledge, which is to say, realizing the sun is at its peak between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in most spots. Given that solar schedule, point your panels due south as this tends to be the best direction to harness the energy of solar rays.

Owners of solar panels tend to have sunny dispositions, and among them there’s no such thing as a bad latitude (sorry, couldn’t resist a little solar humor there). However, seriously folks, knowing your latitude is important in operating your solar panels. It’s important in these hotter months to adjust your panels to your latitude to further enhance the panels’ efficiency and output. Conversely, in the winter, one would still aim one’s solar panels according to latitude but add 15 degrees to that calculation. Like in real estate, location is everything. For U.S. residents, this is a good thing because the country is in the middle latitude with the sun directly overhead, thus ensuring the delivery of greater energy from the sun during the hotter months.

Some folks think that solar panel installations have to be aimed at the sun every minute of every hour, but that’s a myth. As long as solar panels are directed at the sun for a few hours each day, you’ll be assured of reliable energy.

It may seem obvious to advise about avoiding shade in locating and configuring your solar panel array, but it’s worth repeating. Shade, of course, is anathema to solar energy collection. A solar panel obscured by shade can lose up to 80 percent of its total output.

Configuring and adjusting solar panels sounds like a chore, but it takes mere minutes. Those inclined toward a more sedentary lifestyle might derive greater enjoyment tracking their solar harnessing on the computer—a fun exercise but also an important one to get the most out of a system of solar panels. Many owners of solar panels opt to mount their array on a tracking system to better monitor the sun’s movements in order to capture the most of its solar output. We have seen grown men and women describe their solar tracking with a palpable enthusiasm usually exhibited by a teenager gushing over the latest computer app or game. It’s fun to go solar!

To further optimize the output of solar panel installations, it’s a good idea to conduct an assessment of a home or building to ascertain areas where electricity is being wasted, and then hook up solar panels accordingly. As a complement to solar panels, one might also consider the use of energy-efficient light bulbs, the installation of good insulation, and other techniques to further augment the output of solar panels.

As the use of solar panels increases in popularity, the technology has gotten less expensive. It’s still not entirely inexpensive though, which further illustrates the need to explore methods of optimizing their output. Given such cost considerations, it’s best to view such technology as an investment with an ensured—if not necessarily short-term—rate of return. If your home or building has a roof yielding the best positioning, it’s a good idea to purchase the biggest system you’re able to afford with an eye toward maximizing these future returns.

In tandem, the kW output of solar panels continues to improve as the technology is perfected. These factors heighten the need to get the most of one’s solar panels. Rebates are now offered by various utilities as incentives for their use, and owners of solar panels are able to sell off excess electricity back to the grid. From any direction you choose to look at it, the use of solar panels is emerging as a really bright idea.

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Everyone knows tax day is April 15, but a lot of us forget that Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. First celebrated in 1970, the day was set aside to raise environmental awareness and promote appreciation for our planet. When it comes to ensuring eco-friendly building, the effort should not be viewed as taxing, but as a way to not only contribute to our planet’s viability but also to realize economic savings by incorporating energy-efficient standards.

There are several ways building owners can boast of having eco-friendly buildings. Here are just a few simple steps that can be taken toward that end:

• Installing skylights in a building enables a property owner to illuminate the interior, free of charge, thanks to Mother Nature! Given today’s heightened environmental consciousness, building owners have no shortage of available skylight installers. Not only do skylights save on energy bills, but also they offer an elegant element to any building.

• Solar panels are another tested element toward eco-friendly building. Initially, the cost of solar panels was cost-prohibitive. However, advances in the technology have helped prices go down. Moreover, many utilities offer rebates as powerful incentives toward the development of eco-friendly projects. Many property owners with solar panels end up selling surplus energy to the utility where their eco-friendly buildings are located. Short of selling the excess to a utility, it can also be stored for later use by transferring it to a battery. Granted, there is an initial investment requirement but the dividends will pay off big time in the long run.

• Low-wattage light bulbs are an often overlooked, yet simple, step that can be taken to achieve eco-friendliness. These bulbs are the “pigtail” variety and can be deceptive, given that they are brighter than conventional bulbs. However, don’t be deceived; they are exponentially more energy efficient that old-school light bulbs. As an added plus, these bulbs require no special adaptations and can plug into any socket.

• The bathroom is one of the last places some might expect to target in trying to achieve eco-friendly building, but the toilet consumes quite a bit of water. Due to this, it’s advisable to secure a low-flow toilet device to cut on water bills. These easy-to-install devices—available at any building supplies store—ensure that a toilet uses considerably less water without compromising water flow. This simple step can help you save not only water but also money on your water bill each month.

• Motion sensors designed to turn off a light bulb automatically are another element found in many eco-friendly buildings. The timers on these devices will automatically shut off light bulbs either indoors or outdoors if you happen to forget to shut them off yourself. Building owners sometimes don’t count the cost of wasted electricity but believe us—it can be quite considerable.

As part of their professional acumen, the staff of Burnham Nationwide is well-versed on the range of energy-efficient methods and practices. We see the heightened interest in eco-friendly building as advantageous to our clients because of the real savings that can be achieved.

Having a so-called “green building” is an ever-increasing goal of many—a source of pride in their communities and a way of achieving financial and energy savings. Achieving green status requires cooperation from all construction players—the architect, the design team, engineers, and the client. You can count on having a reliable partner in Burnham Nationwide for development of your own green building.

For additional insight and guidance on achieving eco-friendly buildings, please contact us through our website at burnhamnationwide.com or by calling us toll-free at (800) 407-7990.

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A comprehensive national rollout often requires construction related permits from a variety of jurisdictions, departments and agencies. Our Nationwide division, working with our local circles of support, is now able to provide retailers, architects, engineers, contractors, building owners, property managers, and construction managers with expert permitting and code consulting solutions geared to their specific needs.

Through our Nationwide division we’ve helped companies such as Chase Bank, T-Mobile, Walgreens, Marriott, Starbucks and many others with their multiple location construction agendas. Our permit technicians have helped normalize the disparate permit processes for thousands of unique municipal authorities and construction projects throughout the country!

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The cost of living in New York City can be so exorbitantly high that many residents will wrack their brains trying to think of ways that they can reduce their expenses. In addition, many residents may wonder how they can decrease the size of their carbon footprint while saving money. One solution for both of these problems that many people around the world are turning to is rooftop solar panels. However, this solution can be a difficult one to implement for many New York City residents who live in buildings that they do not personally own.

If a resident does not own their roof, they may not be able to simply walk onto it and install their own panels. However, they can work with the building’s other residents to petition the owner or manager to add solar panels to the structure. This process has been made even easier by the recent research that has been conducted by the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability.

According to David Bragdon who is the director of that office, New York City could easily add thousands of megawatts of solar power. He also claims that the city has been working on making the permit process easier for residents and easing certain regulations to make adding panels more feasible for all sorts of structures.

His comments were made after the city paid $450,000 to the Lidar Company to perform a series of investigative flights over the city. During these flights, they took a number of pictures and collected a lot of data about the million plus buildings in the city to create a detailed map. The information that was collected shows details about the shapes, angles, and sizes of all of the rooftops in the city. Based on this map, over two-thirds of the roofs in this city are well suited to the addition of rooftop solar panels.

If panels were added to all of the roofs where they could possibly be added, they would generate enough power to create half of the city’s electricity needs during peak hours! The professionals who conducted these studies claim that they analyzed not only the rooftops themselves but also how the shading in each area would affect how well the panels would work if they were added.

When residents of New York City are interested in finding out about the specific nature of their building in regards to its potential for housing rooftop panels, they can visit an interactive version of the map that was created by the information collected by the Lidar Company. The map was paid for by the federal Department of Energy under their Solar America Cities Program and cost the city $210,000.

The map allows residents to view their building and analyze its potential to go solar. Interested residents can look at information about their offices, their homes, or even their friends’ homes.  When they enter their address, they can discover a lot of relevant information on how that address would respond to the implementation of solar collecting panels.

For instance, they will discover how much solar energy could be produced on that particular roof. The estimates are based upon how much light the roof receives, how large it is, its angle, and other factors. They can also find out information on government programs including tax breaks and financial incentives. If they are gathering information to present to the building’s owner or manager, they may also be interested in looking at the section of the interactive map that includes detailed data on how much the solar panels would cost to install and how many years it would take the buildings’ owners to get that initial cost back through energy savings.

People who are curious about the environment may enjoy exploring other features of the interactive map. For instance, they can look at how much carbon dioxide they could avoid if their building implemented panels. They can also look at how many trees it would take to absorb that same amount of carbon dioxide.

One reason that some building owners shy away from installing panels is the regulations that surround such additions. However, the U.S. Department of Energy has recently eased many of these regulations. They have pledged to send $12 million to various organizations to help make the regulations surrounding the installation of rooftop panels easier to navigate.

When people live in a city like New York, they may often feel like they have limited control over some of their circumstances. For instance, they cannot simply add rooftop solar panels to their high rise as easily as someone could add them to the top of their barn in Iowa. However, with accurate information gathered from trustworthy sources, such as the map referred to above, they can easily convince their building owner or homeowner’s association to add these structures.

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Residential solar energy systems rely on ample amounts of sunlight to create power for a home. However, as indicated in previous posts on this website, these panels can still be extremely beneficial, even in areas that do not receive as much sunlight as other areas. Winter weather conditions are another factor that many people worry about when they are thinking about the potential efficacy of installing solar panels.

All solar panels create power based on the light that they collect, rather than the heat that surrounds them. However, the shorter days and less sunlight in the winter mean that most panels create less power in the winter than in the summer. In addition, snow can collect on the panels, which will prevent them from getting the sunlight that they need, but when the snow melts or as soon as it is brushed off the panels, they will resume their normal functioning.

Ideally, most panels will work regardless of outside temperatures. However, the temperatures do have a certain degree of effect on the panels. Hotter temperatures can even have an effect on the output of the panels. For instance, a study done in the UK indicated that as temperature increased from 30 to 42 degrees Celsius (86 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit) that the power output created by the panels dropped slightly from 749 mW to 730 mW. Cold temperatures, ironically, do not have the same effect on panels. Because cold temps can have a slight effect on panels, some scientists are looking at ways that the panels can be changed for better cold weather functioning. For instance, the panels that are attached to the International Space Station have two faces. These allow them to work more efficiently in colder temps than their one-sided counterparts.

However, consumers do not need to worry about how cold temperatures impact the power output of the panels. Rather, they should consider how the cold temperatures in their areas may impact the solar panels themselves. Very low temperatures carry a risk that the charge controller or the inverter can be damaged. To ensure that residential solar energy systems can handle all of the possible temperatures and weather conditions in your particular area, you may wish to speak with a Burnham consultant who can guide you toward the right research that you need to make the best decision for your home energy needs.

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Once you decide to install one of the residential solar energy systems, you will probably have more questions than answers. Because installing these panels can be such an expensive process, it is best to have your questions addressed by an expert. As part of the Burnham special experience, the experts at Burnham Nationwide can offer you advice on all of the issues that you may face during the installation of your residential solar energy systems.

Initially, most consumers want to know how much these systems cost and how well they will offset their current energy bills. The cost of installing panels can be anywhere from $7 to $9 per watt of solar power that will be generated. However, these numbers are reliant on a lot of factors. The number of hours that the sun shines every day will impact how efficiently the panels work, just as the cost of electricity in your area will determine how cost efficient the panels ultimately end up being. The amount of sunlight that the panels can collect is an essential part of how much energy they can produce.

You can manipulate the amount of sunlight that is collected by positioning your panels in the most optimal spots. Most people agree that South-facing is the best direction for most solar panels in the U.S. In addition, most people agree that being as close to the sun as possible with an unobstructed view of it is also the most advantageous. Thus, most opt to install their panels on the roof. However, this can have its pros and cons. Installing panels on the roof is usually the easiest on new construction or on a home that is getting a new roof. This means the roof beams will be exposed, and it makes it easier to attach the mounts. However, maintenance for roof-mounted panels may be a hassle for some. Therefore, in some cases, it is actually more advantageous to scatter the residential solar energy systems in other places on the homeowner’s lot.

In order to ascertain where the best place for your panels is, you should speak with a consultant. They can advise you about everything from angles to location. It’s very important to remember that the more sunlight you collect, the more energy you will create and the more efficient your system will be.

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